Wisconsin to Oregon, 2016

Between September 11 and September 27 we traveled between Wisconsin and Oregon. For those unfamiliar with our travel and living pattern, we consider Wisconsin our summer homebase, and Oregon is becoming our rest-of-the-year homebase. So for the past few years we’ve worn a pretty good path between the Midwest and the Northwest. It’s the journey, not the destination, that we focus on… so we look for new routes between here and there. And, as shunpikers, we prefer trading Interstate highways for more sedate state and county roads.

The general route for the first part of the trip this year, oh, roughly between Wisconsin and Montana, is to follow US-12. We did depart from this plan at times, but that was the basic path. The back-half of the trip was still unplanned, except for my desire to do the Beartooth Highway again.

In Wisconsin on sideroads and backroads, we followed WI-33 up and through the Kickapoo River Valley in Western Wisconsin. Stopped for lunch in Wonewoc where we found the local Lions Club had big grills set up on Main Street and were offering lunch as a fund raiser. Think I had an entire half chicken with all the fixin’s… way more than I should have eaten. In Cashton, we got involved in a parade of some sort that slowed our progress. Then, just outside of Cashton, found our road to LaCrosse was closed due to some construction, and the detour was long. Crossed the Mississippi between LaCrosse and LaCrescent, and then up to our old neighborhood in Burnsville MN. where we overnighted at the home of good friend Jim.

Blue pins are camps; Red pin is motel

There it is... over 7 feet high... all twine. Why? 

Highlights of the drive through Minnesota and South Dakota included seeing the worlds largest ball of twine and an incongruous petrified wood sculpture park in Lemmon SD. Strange as it seems folks flock in huge numbers to Yellowstone and the Grand Canyon but, for some reason, don’t bother with peculiarities like twine balls and wood turned into stone. Hard to explain. We later found out we inadvertently drove right by the world’s largest hairball in Webster SD. Dang.

Between Miles City and Billings in Montanta we stopped again at Pompey’s Pillar, a must-see if you’re a history buff and a fan of the Lewis and Clark Corps of Discovery. We’ve been here before but we have found repeats can be as enriching the second (or third) time. The significance of a place can be more firmly embedded in your mind with repetition. And there are some of us who just forget. An excellent ranger-guided walkabout and discussion made this stop notable.

During this trip west I estimate we were on Interstate Highways for just 350 miles (out of 2500 or so). A big chunk of that was between Miles City and Billings… about 150 miles. I can’t stress the pleasure of getting off Interstates enough. Just so much more rewarding and relaxing.

Just outside Billings we picked up US-212. The Beartooth Highway and Beartooth Pass is between Red Lodge MT and Cooke City MT… one of the most spectacular drives in the USA. We stayed at a campground near Red Lodge for two reasons: first, to give Red Lodge Ales brewpub a second chance after our less-than-agreeable stop the last time we were here. And second, to position ourselves for a morning start on the Beartooth… with the sun on our backs. For the record, Red Lodge Ales redeemed themselves in our book.

The next morning we headed “up the hill”. And we lucked out with just about the most perfect day to do it. I’m serious when I say it’s almost impossible to adequately describe that drive on a perfect day. It’s just got to be experienced.

Wildlife jam in Yellowstone.

US-212 dumps travelers into Yellowstone NP at the northeast entrance. We were merely transiting through the park in order to meet up with good friends Doug and Kay near West Yellowstone. Shocked at the number of visitors still in the Park this late in September, and the traffic was snarled continually as we moved from one wildlife sighting blockage to the next. Took hours to get through to the west entrance and West Yellowstone. One 12 mile long section alone took an hour. Laid low for the next two nights enjoying good weather and the company of friends.

Then up to Bozeman for a quick dinner with professor Bill at MSU. US-191 runs between West Yellowstone and Bozeman, following the Gallatin River. I’ve written about this before, but we have a special place along this road we like to visit each time. It’s a gravel pull-off between the road and river where we stopped for breakfast, just the two of us, before kids, way back in 1974. The memory is of sitting on top a large rock in the river, munching a bowl of cherios. Somewhere we have some pics from that stop, but haven’t found them yet. That rock out in the river is really, for us, a monument to our relationship and we just have to stop by every once in a while. Ya know?

"our" rock is the big one behind Dar. 

After Bozeman we point the nose westward again. In keeping with our shunpiking theme, we took some backroads and sideroads through Wise River, Wisdom, stopping at Big Hole National Battlefield, the location of a sad tragic battle between the US Army and the Nez Perce Indians as they were attempting to relocate to Canada during the brief Nez Perce War. Very moving and puts a different perspective on history. Just west of the battlefield, up Joseph Creek, we crossed Chief Joseph Pass, and eventually down the Bitteroot Valley to Missoula. Stayed in a motel that night, our only motel of the trip.

From Missoula followed the Clark Fork River to Sandpoint and Ponderay in the Idaho panhandle. Stayed at a favorite campground on the lake... Riley Creek COE.  We were both feeling a tad poorly the past couple days and denial wasn’t making it any better. Our original plan to see the kids in Washington on our way to homebase Sutherlin was scrapped and we headed south from here. Don’t want to show up and infect the grandkids… not the kind of thing good grandparents should do. Right?

So, after two nights at Riley Creek, we altered course to the south, through Lewiston and Clarkson to WA-129 south -- Rattlesnake Highway. We’d not heard about this road before… really just stumbled on it. But what a find. I’ll let the pictures do the describing. One doesn’t want to be in a hurry on this road, nor would I advise texting while driving. Briefly, it’s a canyon cut by Rattlesnake Creek, with a road stuck on the side of the canyon walls.

Click to expand. Wherever you see road, it's the road we're on.

The last night.

We’re back in Oregon again. Enterprise, Wallowa, Minam, and LaGrande. After another short chunk of Interstate, Starkey, Ukiah, Long Creek, and Mt. Vernon. Stayed two nights at Clyde Holliday State Park, soaking up sun and feelin’ good.  We did spend one more night out, at Crane Prairie Lake down in the Cascade Lakes area southwest of Bend. A fitting last night out, with great views of Mt. Bachelor, Broken Top, and the Three Sisters… all while watching a group of mule deer playing, socializing, lunching… right along the lakeshore in front of our campsite.  The following morning we wrapped up our trip by crossing the Cascades on OR-138, having lunch at the Steamboat Inn, and following the North Umpqua river home.

16 nights, about 2600 miles, some familiar things, some new. Perhaps a little faster than we’d ideally prefer. But it’s good to be home.

A few more pics...

Along the Beartooth

Along the Beartooth

Clyde Holliday State Park in Oregon

Believe it or not... the only petrified wood park in South Dakota.

Red Lodge Ales

A Good Old-Fashioned Garage Raisin'

Breathing life back into the old blog, we’ll make an attempt here to bring it up to date before the end of the year. Let’s see… when we last heard from anybody at Dar and Thom’s RV Sabbatical Journal the new garage at the farm was just getting started. And my eyes (both of ‘em) were healing from cataract surgery.

But there was a garage to be built. There’s no doubt things started getting a bit more frantic as all the materials for the garage were delivered in early August. Piles of materials… wood, shingles, trusses, garage door parts, windows, sheathing and siding, and much much more… were scattered around the yard in strategic locations to make access easier and yet leave room for working and maneuvering. Rain predicted for later in the delivery day made the first effort one of getting it all protected from water damage.

The following day we were on the slab and nailing walls together. During the week, the core of the crew was Dar’s brother Dennis, Dar, and me. On weekends and a few scattered days here and there we had a larger crew who wanted to be part of this good old fashioned barn raisin’. That first weekend we had access to a handy hunk of equipment, a large construction fork lift owned by a neighbor, that made short work of setting trusses and lifting plywood and shingles onto the roof. Without it, the work would have progressed much more slowly and been accompanied by twisted joints, sore muscles, and mental anguish. As it was, the structure rose quickly and was covered within a week.

Dennis is the lead guy on this job. It’s his property and he has the most carpentry experience among the rag-tag group of helpers. He’s knowledgeable but he doesn’t have a lot of time for gold-bricks, slackers, or retired guys who think their hard working days are behind them. Unfortunately, I’m all three of these things. His motto is: if the sun’s shining he wants to hear nails being driven, wood being cut, and progress being made. Seven days per week, 12 or more hours per day. There will be no breaks until it’s built. We had an incredible period of sunny weather and I couldn’t find a rainy day anywhere to save me.

Dar's Mom, Marion, was a key member of the crew too. She supplied the food and refreshments to keep the crew moving so the job would be done before the snow flies.

After about three weeks the pace did slow down somewhat. The building was almost weather tight and work evolved to puttering with problems, internal stuff like wiring and trim, and landscaping around the outside. My last job was a small “well house” built from scraps and in the style of the garage itself.

Our summer evaporated as the calendar turned to September. Time to head back west again. We left September 11.

Here are a few photos of the various crew members. And, of course, there are more pics in our online photo album.

Dennis, Ralph, Thom

Thom, Dennis, Dar, Bill

Thom, Dar, Dan, Dennis, Steve, Pat, Jim, Ron

Steve, Thom, Ron, Dennis

Dar and brother Steve. Pretty darned happy about a door installation.

Thom, Gage, Steve, Dennis, Jon, Brooke

Our fearless leader... Dennis

One of our Summer Projects

Just in case someone thinks we've been resting and relaxing here at the farm this summer, here's a glimpse of a summer project we've been working on.

Where’d You Get Them Peepers?

Well, it turns out this is the year. Tests and measurements of the worst eye indicated it’s time to get on with it. Wasting no time, I signed up for the next date open on the surgery calendar… about a week out. One eye would be done and the other a couple weeks later. There was a 3 day period of prep, a series of eye-drops that needed to be installed in the target eye, and the wait.

I arrived bright and early on a Tuesday and reported to surgery, my trusty patient advocate and moral support at my side. Mustering up courage and my best game-day face, I struggled to keep things light by bantering with the staff and joking around a bit to keep my mind off the chamber of horrors in the next room. It was fine. I’m going to get through this.

I don’t remember much after getting to the operating room. I climbed on the table, positioned myself where they wanted me, an injection of a drug cocktail including versed, my personal amnesiatic of choice, and I was in la-la land. Vague memories of 70s music… some conversation… the doctor talking his way through the procedure… and it was over. I’m told the procedure usually takes just 12 to 15 minutes, but it seemed like just a minute or two to me. Just another minute or two to come out of the drug stupor and I climbed down off the table and into an awaiting wheel chair for the ride to my prep room. Into a recliner, cup of coffee, and the best toast I’ve ever eaten.

One must be a little careful the first few days after cataract surgery. No bending over or heavy lifting or anything that could cause strain or raise the blood pressure. I was fine with that, mellowing in the afterglow of knowing that it was over.

Anyway, the eye healed and I was happy with the result. My previous prescription glasses no longer worked. As expected, I will need reading glasses for close-up work, but the clarity and crispness of my new vision is really something. I wonder what Alaska looks like with these new peepers?

A follow-up visit to the eye doc proved that all was going as it should for the first eye, and that the second eye would be following along just a couple weeks later. That procedure was an almost identical repeat of the first.

And now I’m done. Two eyes… two new lenses… new clearer and crisper vision. In a few more weeks I’ll get a new prescription for glasses, but I can tell already that it’s quite possible to function without any correction at all for most things. I can even read without glasses if I hold what I’m reading at a stretched arms length. A remarkable ordeal. A remarkable change for the better.

And now we’re ready to go exploring again.

Fear

Medical advancements can be divided into two separate but overlapping categories: those that improve the quality of life and those that extend the quantity, or length, of life. IOLs, Intra-Ocular Lens implants fall clearly in the former. After installation they function like the originals with no needed care or anti-rejection drugs or anything. They truly improve the quality of life with virtually no negatives at all for most people. And they haven’t been around for very long. Someone born just 50 years prior to me would’ve been largely out of luck. Other than increasingly powerful correction with decreasing results, they would have slowly lost this incredibly important human sense. Adaptation was the only remedy.

Here’s an unfortunate fact. I’m not very strong when it comes to medical procedures of almost any kind. I’ve passed out from blood draws and other needle sticks. Donating blood is a worthy cause that I’ve done, but a few times the ordeal ended with me on the floor... even after getting my cookie and orange juice. Putting eye drops in has required a team of people. Eye clinics have rarely had patients that needed so many hands to hold open the eye lids for the dreaded glaucoma test. Contact lenses were not even a consideration when I needed glasses. So, the idea of surgery on my eye was simply off-the-chart. Fear, even baseless fear, is a powerful force.

But the prospect of going blind is an even more powerful force. A force that’ll make even the weak strong. And, over time, I came to accept, even look forward to, the idea that someone would be sticking a hot poker into my eye, shattering and sucking out the old lens, and sliding a new plastic replacement in through the hole made by the hot poker. And all this, mind you, while I’m awake? Really?

Me and My Eyes

New eyes. Well, at least new lenses. The original lenses, the ones that came with this body, were rapidly becoming a problem (cataracts), and my big hope as we drove into Wisconsin this year was that I’d be able to have them replaced during our visit this year.

Beaver Dam was (is?) our hometown. We both grew up here. But like so many kids who grew up in small towns, we couldn’t wait to get out into the bigger world beyond the borders of our little town. For some, like me, who weren’t particularly “popular” in high school, that desire to get away was probably also driven by a chance to start over, to hit the reset button.

Fast forward through most of our working years… which were coming to an end while we lived in Geneva Illinois. This is when, after a long period of soul-searching and deliberation, we decided to chuck it all and hit the road as full time RVers. That’s a story for another time. At any rate, we needed an official place to get mail, file taxes, and other such administrivia, so we took an address in Beaver Dam and that’s been our “official home” since. It’s where our doctors, dentists, and other medical shit happens. And included in that grouping would be my eye doctor.

I’ve known I had cataracts brewing for some years, but only in the past couple years has the situation degraded to the point where my quality of life was affected. Last summer, just prior to our Alaska and Yukon trip, tests indicated one eye was almost ready. Close, but not quite. As it would have screwed up our big summer trip, I was happy to put it off. But this year I was really ready. I want to see clearly again.

Alaska-bound... at last!

OK, here's the deal.  Tomorrow, Sunday the 7th of June, we're off toward Alaska. Our Wisconsin chore list and visiting list is more or less complete (sorry to those who we did miss this time around... we'll make up for it next year) and we're finally on our way. Since Alaska and the northern Canadian territories has been on both our bucket lists for a long, long time, we consider this an epic trip. This is anticipation the level of which I haven't felt for years. We both love travel but this is something different. Don't know quite how to explain it. We hope you can follow along.

More frequent updates to follow.

Sept 30 - Another Month Fades... Falling Leaves and Cooler Air on our way West

Sign on trailer seems to indicate at least
it knows where we're going.

Motivated by a ticking deadline to get the rental trailer returned before additional charges are tacked on an already hefty bill for a 32 year old well-used trailer, we bid adieu to family in Beaver Dam and hit the road about 8am on Monday. With the exception of a few showers as we traversed Minnesota, we had reasonable weather for enjoyable travel.

My objective is 500 miles each day, give or take, so we could complete the journey to the PNW in 5 days... even allowing some time for a little factor-fudge (the no sugar added type).

Not a lot to report from Monday's drive... all Interstate all the time... and no stopping for anything other than the normal fluid-exchanges. We pulled into Cabelas in Mitchell SD about 5pm (and almost exactly 500 miles), found a little nearby joint for dinner, and settled down for the night. During the night strong east winds jostled the little camper, but we got a good night sleep.

This morning, Tuesday we woke to more wind, a little rain, and we hustled to get moving by 8am. Once again, a day of Interstate Highways and little else, but the weather was the thorn in our big toe all day. The early tail wind turned into a head wind with a vengeance, rain, heavy at times, low clouds and low visibility, the normal heavy truck traffic... even gaining an hour didn't do much to lift my spirits. But despite all that we did eek out nearly 480 miles and we're in a nice camp with improving weather. Things are looking up.

A word about the camp:  we stayed at Red Shale NFS CG in the Custer National Forest not far from Ashland MT on our way to Wisconsin in July. Since it happened to be in the right spot at the right time during our return trip too, we took advantage of the situation.  In case you forgot, here's what you get... a very un-congested small but rustic facility, it has three things going for it in my book:  few other campers (tonight, only one), a strong Verizon 4G signal, and it's absolutely free of charge. What's not to like.

Cabelas in Mitchell

crossing the Missouri

camp at Red Shale

Aug 11 - Notes from the North

When we last heard from our Intrepid Explorers they were heading north to Door County in Wisconsin. It was just for a weekend... which turned out quite agreeable. We ate too much, picked a bucket-load of really ripe tart cherries (a local specialty), patronized a couple trendy local restaurants, and tried to work off all that food with a good hike along the lakeshore bluffs. Evening campfires were a must.

After a few days back in Beaver Dam to resupply we were again heading north. This time the destination was a small NFS campground at Colwell Lake in the Hiawatha National Forest. Dar's family has made camping here a tradition that's nearing a continuous 20 year run. The lake itself is small... about 80 or 100 acres... but large enough for fishing and water-skiing.  And water-ski they do, with several among them veteran bare-foot water-skiers. Here again, the nightly campfires are a highlight. And, of course, we ate too much, drank too much, and had a great time. I did have a moment of catharsis when I realized I was the oldest of the 20 or so people around the campfire one night. I got over it.

Cell phone and internet availability are spotty at best at Colwell Lake... so, other than a couple quick trips into Munising, we were "in the dark" for much of the week. Being away from all things electronic for a few days ain't all bad. You learn to adapt, find other things to do, read, and think a little differently than when you're a slave to the hand-held gizmo.

From there Dar and I headed over to our favorite Camp S... a private facility near Michigamme. Here, we hope to spend a few quiet days working and getting caught up again on photos and posts to the blogs.

A few pics from our week... (more can be seen by clicking on our Photo Albums tab above)

Trumpeter Swans at Seney Wildlife Refuge

Pictured Rocks Natl. Lakeshore and Lake Superior

Seem to find these wherever we go.

Breakwater in Grand Marais

Supermoon

July 25 - Heading North for a Weekend in Door County

It's been more than a dozen years since we've been in Wisconsin's Famous Door County. This peninsula poking into Lake Michigan gives Wisconsin it's signature shape and is a very popular tourist destination during the summer. (During the Winter... not so much.) After a little prodding from my brother Jerry we thought we'd brave the crowds and add this experience to our summer of 2014 adventures. 

Check out http://doorcounty.com/ for more.

July 11 - Lake City MN to Beaver Dam WI

Overnight and early morning rain showers herded us into Doug and Kay's home for morning coffee. During a lull in the precipitation we stowed our gear, dropped the top, and hit the road.

There's always an excitement, driven by familiarity and memories, as one nears "home"... even if you have multiple "homes". I've written it before... but there's no feeling like "coming home", unless it's feeling like "it's time to go." We nomads are such complicated and hard to please people.

We'll be here for a couple months. During that time there won't be many updates to this Journal... which is primarily a travel journal. We'll be hitting the road back to the PNW by the end of September.

=====
Miles Today: 212 (odo 9954)
Location: "The Farm" near Beaver Dam
Weather: Showers early (near the Mississippi), lighter and abating as we moved east.

When we see this... we know we're close to our Midwest Home.

Jan 23 - Impeccable Timing

I don't know how it happens... "it" being uncanny, mysterious timing. But I'm not one who needs supernatural explanations for weird phenomena, so I'll just call it impeccable timing.

We arrived at the Columbus Wisconsin Amtrak station last Tuesday evening in the middle of a minor blizzard... 7 inches of snow driven by icy 30 mph winds. "Welcome to Wisconsin you soft traitorous weaklings. We'll show you what you've been missing... what we true gritty Wisconsinites endure without nary a whimper or comment. Why, we're proud of our extreme weather... of our ability to take it in stride... of the way it keeps riffraff (like you) away... sort of an environmental Darwinism at work."

For the past week if it hasn't been snowing and blowing, it's been a bit chilly. This morning we woke to -5f (that's 5 below zero for you soft snowbirds). But at least the wind is blowing, hard, out of the Northwest. It's difficult to explain to folks who've never experienced mornings like this, but the clear skies and clean air pouring out of the arctic make for almost unbelievable visibility. If the horizon didn't curve away from view I'm sure we could see all the way to Minneapolis or maybe even Fargo. It's that clear, and a real treat.

The camper is mounted on the truck and ready to go. Unfortunately we're not going anywhere very soon. Another facet of this impeccable timing thing is that my Mom developed a medical problem the day after we arrived. She's still in the hospital. I'm writing this while I'm sitting in her ICU room this morning. There's no sure path for her at this time and we really don't know how long we'll be here. Impeccable timing. I recall, too, how my Dad started the downhill slide to his end a day or two after we arrived in Wisconsin last May.

I do have a few posts in the works to bring the Journal up to date, and I'll be back-publishing them one of these days. The ample time on my hands these days is offset by low levels of motivation. But as sure as a Wisconsin Winter gives way to Spring, this too will change.

November 7 - Beaver Dam to Shelby Iowa

Hey, we're on the road again.  After almost 6 months it feels good to be moving, that's for sure.

Yesterday we moved the bushouse off the RV pad at the farm and onto a temporary one-night "stand" nearby. The truck camper took the bushouse's place on the pad... and went into "cold storage". It'll sit there... unused, winterized, loaded and ready to go... until we return and retrieve it about a month from now. (more on that later).  Considering the 24f degree temps last night, the bushouse easily rumbled to life at first light this morning, raring to go. If I didn't know otherwise I'd say it was as anxious as us to hit the road. The only unforeseen issue was a frozen tv batwing antenna which cold-welded itself to it's base... no turning... no dropping... and us not going until stowed.. The steady rain of the previous few days and the hard-freezing temps combined to make life a little interesting... especially if you're the one who had to crawl up onto the roof, negotiate the full 40 x 8 ice skating rink up there, and free the problematic antenna.

Before 8am the wheels were turning. An early-ish start was needed to keep a burning ember of hope alive that we'd make my planned 400+ miles before the sun set. The route was an easy one... US-151 through, around, or near Madison, Dodgeville, Platteville (all WI), Dubuque, Cedar Rapids, Iowa City (IA). Hop on I-80 west, circle around Des Moines, and head for Omaha... but we stopped for the night in the little town of Shelby Iowa. We found an electric plug-in at a motel/RV park near the Interstate to help fend off another night of 20f degree temps. And that's where I'm writing this post.

Tomorrow will be more of the same.

In my last post I discussed our plans to first take the bushouse out to Oregon and then return to Wisconsin, probably in December, to pick up the pick up (get it?) and camper. My first thought was to fly back. But smarter people than I thought it might be cool to "rail" back.  That's right, Amtrak. The "Empire Builder" has both Vancouver Washington (about 10 miles from our daughter and son-in-laws house) and Columbus Wisconsin (about 10 miles from family in Beaver Dam) included on it's list of stops between Portland and Chicago. And not only that, a cross-country passenger train trip has been on my bucket list for years. This has the makin's of a very cool trip.

Cedar River near Cedar Rapids Iowa